What is Happening in Lebanon? Tech Weaponization Explained

In the past 72 hours, coordinated attacks that combined pager and walkie-talkie technology with remote explosive devices have left at least 36 people dead and more than 3,000 people injured.

As a source told Techopedia, the scene could have been pulled out of a sci-fi or action movie, but unfortunately, it is a hard reality. Children and civilians are among those reported dead.

Reuters reports that the thousands of pagers that exploded across Lebanon, as well as parts of Syria, were held by Hezbollah and wounded many of its fighters.

Due to the unique nature of the event, the news has spread confusion and different theories about how wireless devices were used in this attack — but as we explore below, the attacks will change how we think about and use mobile communication technology forever.

Techopedia talked with Marine Corps Colonel (Ret.) William “Burner” Dunn to offer expert analysis on the news.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Marine Corps Colonel Explains Hardware-Level Manipulation
2. Can Other Devices like Smartphones or Laptops be Rigged to Explode Too?
3. What is Israel's Secretive Cyber Warfare Unit 8200?
4. 'Lebanon Attacks Could Change How the World Builds Technology'
5. The Bottom Line
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Marine Corps Colonel Explains Hardware-Level Manipulation
2. Can Other Devices like Smartphones or Laptops be Rigged to Explode Too?
3. What is Israel's Secretive Cyber Warfare Unit 8200?
Show Full Guide
4. 'Lebanon Attacks Could Change How the World Builds Technology'
5. The Bottom Line
6. References

Marine Corps Colonel Explains Hardware-Level Manipulation

Experts believe the pagers and walkie-talkies used in the attacks in Lebanon across Tuesday and Wednesday were modified at the hardware level in a “sophisticated year-long operation,” which required infiltrating the Hezbollah communications supply chain, with some sources suggesting Israel’s secretive intelligence unit, ‘Unit 8200’, may have been involved in the operation.

Marine Corps Colonel William “Burner” Dunn (Ret.), President of Strategic Resilience Group and author of “Gunfighters Rule!“, served over three decades in the United States Marine Corps.

Colonel Dunn, who recently had boots on the ground in Syria, told Techopedia that the Lebanon pager attack pointed to a sophisticated, long-planned remote attack operation.

“Hezbollah leadership ordered their members to stop using cell phones several months ago and supplied them with pagers, warning that their phones could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.

 

“The U.S. was not involved, but whoever was behind the attack (Hezbollah is blaming Israel’s Mossad counter-terrorism unit) could have infiltrated the supply chain and rigged the pagers with explosives before being imported to Lebanon and Syria.”

Colonel Dunn explained that the technology to carry out these operations exists and that he would not consider it necessarily new.

“It required a detailed understanding of how the pagers are acquired and distributed. Once determined it only required an explosive to be added to the system and a link to the pager number for detonation.

 

“I don’t believe it was set by the timer. Logically, they were triggered by a call or other electronic means.”

The Colonel added that, in his opinion, the attack was carried out by someone with very specific knowledge of the threat personnel.

Can Other Devices like Smartphones or Laptops be Rigged to Explode Too?

Techopedia asked Colonel Dunn if the same risks of the Lebanon pager attack exist for other devices such as smartphones, laptops, or tablets. His answer was straight to the point, despite it not being reassuring.

“This technology could be used in any system that is similar.”

This means that any system that receives a signal from an outside source — whether it be a cell phone, pager, watch, or other device — can be retrofitted to carry out this threat.

“To prevent this from happening users must be certain of the location their systems come from. Certainly, procedures can be developed to check for explosives.”

‘Lebanon Attacks Could Change How the World Builds Technology’

Reuters reported that one blast in Lebanon on Wednesday took place near a funeral organized by Hezbollah for people killed the previous day.

A Reuters reporter in the southern suburbs of Beirut said he saw Hezbollah members ‘frantically taking batteries out of any walkie-talkies that had not exploded, tossing the parts in metal barrels’.

Colonel Dunn told Techopedia that this threat has the potential to change the entire technology manufacturing lines and supply chains.

“In 1982 bottles of Tylenol were filled with cyanide,” Colonel Dunn said. “It killed seven Americans who used the tainted bottles. That resulted in a total shift in how manufacturers shipped everything in the U.S.

“I believe we will see this now with electronics.  Especially pagers and cell phones.”

The U.S. Congress has taken a harder stance on technology issues that relate to geopolitical tensions and foreign adversary threats. The banning of TikTok, interventions in U.S. chip exports to China used for AI, and the recently approved ROUTERS act — which seeks to evaluate all American modems and routers in use — are signals of this hardened foreign tech policy.

Techopedia asked Colonel Dunn how military personnel deployed in regions like the Middle East can protect themselves from this threat.

“Our people that deploy would not bring a cell phone with them on a mission. Secure communications is the key.”

“Cell phones and pagers are not secure,” Colonel Dunn said. “Conventional forces will absolutely use the systems mentioned primarily to protect from IEDs. Deploying military personnel should never bring any personal communication devices with them.”

The Bottom Line

While technology has played a vital role in geopolitical conflicts, with cyber warfare becoming the norm, the Lebanon pager attack raises the bar to dangerous levels. A world where common wireless devices found everywhere can be weaponized and inflict violence, death, and destruction is a scary world to live in.

All countries are undoubtedly following closely the developing news from Lebanon and considering the risks and threats in play. New acts, regulations, and policies that dramatically change how hardware is manufactured could soon follow. For now, we are spectators as pagers explode across Lebanon.